


dancing in the dark (with you between my arms)

by orphan_account



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Girlfriends/No Wives, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Multi, ballroom dancing au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 22:07:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21636154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Rhett is a professional ballroom dancer. He hadn’t found his perfect partner to dance with for competitions, his previous ones never seemed to match his intensity. That was until he met Link, who was losing his eye sight due to an extremely rare disease. With Link to match his intensity, Rhett found himself wrapped into Link’s personal life with no apparent way out. Rhett didn’t mind, though.
Relationships: Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	1. Cafes and McRibs

**Author's Note:**

> Rhett meets his new ballroom dancing partner in a place he never expected to, and finds that maybe Link wasn't just someone new he danced with.

If Rhett was completely honest, he was bored out of his mind. He didn’t think trying to find a partner that actually wanted to dance with him would be so hard. He’d posted on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter trying to find someone that could be a suitable partner. He had a suitable fanbase, so Rhett had hoped among that fanbase was a professional ballroom dancer just like him.

So, there Rhett was, sitting in a cafe on his laptop at a time unknown, possibly before midnight. Rhett wasn’t exactly sure. No one had come out and responded to any of his posts, all the comments being completely unrelated to what he asked for. Rhett was considering pouring his coffee onto his laptop. 

He sighed, sipping his coffee as he watched people walk into the cafe. He thought about the countless partners he had, each leaving because he was “too intense” or “too much” for their liking. Rhett didn’t think he was too intense, it was  _ ballroom dancing _ . How could someone get too intense while ballroom dancing? Apparently, Rhett could.

Rhett groaned, refreshing his Twitter page as he waited impatiently for someone to volunteer. All the new comments he received were complimenting him. Granted, Rhett was flattered, but it wasn’t what he was looking for. He closed his laptop in frustration, groaning as loudly as he possibly could. He felt the stares of the other customers in the cafe, which were about five people since it was incredibly late at night.

Rhett glanced out of the window that was in front of him, looking into the night sky of Los Angeles. It wasn’t completely dark outside, but it was dark enough for Rhett to know he’d been in the cafe for a long time. He wondered how long it would take for someone to kick him out with all the stress sounds he’d been making.

“Excuse me?”

Rhett glanced up at the small voice that had broken the silence in the cafe. He was immediately attracted to the spectacles on the man’s face, but most importantly, his eyes. Rhett felt his mouth agape at the sight of the man’s blue eyes. They reminded Rhett of the sky on a sunny day in the Golden State, when it wasn’t cloudy or cold. They made Rhett feel warm inside, his heart pumping quicker than usual. Rhett mentally cursed, he shouldn’t be having thoughts right now. He needed to focus on other things, like ballroom dancing.

Damn, the man’s eyes were unbelievably beautiful.

Rhett cleared his throat, closing his gaping mouth before talking. “Is someone finally kickin’ me out of here?”

The man looked taken aback, but smiled at the question. “No, but I have a feeling they’ll kick everyone out of here. It’s midnight.”

Rhett glanced outside, then back to the man. “It’s midnight? Already?”

The man laughed, covering his mouth with one of his hands. Rhett thought it was a shame, the man’s smile and laughter were unbelievably gorgeous. Rhett didn’t think he’d get smitten over someone he just met, let alone someone who was telling him to leave because the cafe closed at midnight.

“Yeah, it is. Wanna go for a walk?”

Rhett blinked. “At this hour?”

The man beamed. Rhett thought he could be the sun at this point. “Yeah, I think it’ll calm you down.”

Rhett took out his laptop bag and stared at the man. “Calm me down?”

“Yeah. I saw how frustrated you were gettin’ over somethin’ on that laptop or yours. Maybe we could talk about it?”

Rhett nodded, a walk in the dangerous city of downtown Los Angeles couldn’t hurt. Despite its dangers, Rhett was tall enough to scare anyone that came near him and the man with the beautiful eyes. 

As soon as Rhett finished packing up for the night, they walked out of the cafe, the man following Rhett. The man was shorter than Rhett, which was to be expected, but he was still tall. Probably taller than an average human being, judging on how he was a bit taller than Rhett’s shoulder. 

“So, what’s your name?” Rhett asked, attempting to start a conversation. The man looked up at Rhett, stopping before holding out a hand towards Rhett.

“Sorry for not introducing myself earlier. I’m Link.”

Rhett took Link’s hand, smiling at its warmth. “Rhett.”

Link smiled as they let go, continuing their stroll. They walked passed several retail stores that were closed before Link initiated conversation.

“So, Rhett, why were you mad? Broke up with someone?” Link asked, his tone genuinely curious. Rhett didn’t think anyone would be curious over his situation. 

“Nah, just havin’ some trouble finding a partner,” Rhett answered nonchalantly. Though, this prompted Link to look surprised.

“A partner? You don’t have one yet?” Link questioned, his curiosity apparent. Rhett realized Link thought of it as romantic partner, to which Rhett blushed.

“Not a girlfriend, man. Like, a dance partner.” Rhett cleared up, looking away from Link to avoid showing how flustered he was.

He felt Link’s shoulder brush against his for a brief moment before looking back at him. Link had been smiling. “I know. I was joking,” Link giggled.

Rhett rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right. What do you know about dancing?”

“I feel offended, Rhett. I’ll have you know I’m a professional!”

Rhett stared. “A professional?” Those words alone caught Rhett’s interest. If Link danced, that made him so much more attractive Rhett wouldn’t be able to handle it. He had to ask for Link’s number. He hadn’t had a friend in  _ years _ .

Link nodded, his hair bouncing at the motion. “Yeah! Ballroom dancer, dude.”

“Ballroom dancer? Actually?” Rhett asked, genuinely surprised that Link was someone who had a similar job as he did, if not the same job. 

“Yeah! How about you, what did ya need a partner for?” Link looked up, catching Rhett’s gaze.

“Ballroom dancing,” Rhett answered. He watched as Link smiled, his expression a mixture of being surprised and being extremely happy.

“Same! Rhett, we could be dance partners!” Link exclaimed, grabbing Rhett’s right arm and holding it. “It’ll be so fun, man!”

Rhett smiled at the sight of Link dancing with him during a competition. If Link could match his intensity, then that was it. Rhett would have a permanent partner.

That was when he remembered how intense previous partners had said he was. He was afraid Link would be just like them, incredibly rude and unable to understand his style of ballroom dancing.

He looked at Link, happily babbling about how he was excited to finally have a partner. He didn’t look like the type to be rude towards Rhett. That’s what he thought about all of his previous partners, though. He didn’t want someone else to leave him, again.

“Rhett?”

Rhett looked at Link, who had a concerned expression on his face. “Do you not want me to be your partner? I mean, I can understand, everyone I’ve asked doesn’t want me because I’m-”

“-too intense?” Rhett finished, which made Link gasp.

“Yes! Were you frustrated earlier-”

“-because I was in the same position? Yeah, man. People don’t understand  _ our _ style,” Rhett said, emphasizing the fact that he and Link had the same “intense” dance style.

“So, we’re dance partners?” Link asked, seemingly confused if Rhett wanted to dance with him.

Rhett chuckled. “Yeah, I’d be willing to try with you. If you’d like.”

Link’s beaming smile made Rhett’s head turn, his face turning red. “Thanks, Rhett! We’ll show them that we ain’t intense!” Link giggled, pumping his fist towards the sky.

Rhett’s doubt faded as he looked at Link’s blue eyes that were scanning Rhett’s face, probably for an expression that showed he was unsure of his decision to have Link as his partner. How could he be mad at someone as adorable as Link?

“Yeah, Link. We’ll show them punks!”

Link’s laughter filled the dark Los Angeles night as they continued walking, both not wanting to go home. Rhett was surprised to have found a partner so early in his search, let alone living in Los Angeles. He didn’t think it would be so easy.

In fact, it was too easy.

Rhett eyed Link. “Are you lyin’ to me?”

Link chuckled. “Why would I lie about being a ballroom dancer? Have you seen non-ballroom dancers lie about being a ballroom dancer before?”

Rhett rolled his eyes. “Just checkin’, man. Sometimes you gotta be careful.”

“Oh? Were you scared that I was a robber?”

“Be quiet, Link. You’re too small to rob me.”

Link groaned. “First of all, I’m six feet tall! That’s taller than most people!”

Rhett looked at Link’s clothing before landing on his eyes. “You don’t look threatening enough to be a robber. Don’t flatter yourself.”

Link laughed. “Honestly, Rhett, you’re so weird. I think this will be an interesting experience.”

Rhett raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

Link nodded. “Haven’t met anyone like you before.”

“I get that a lot.”

Link looked over Rhett, giggling. “It would make sense. You’re so freaking tall!”

Rhett rolled his eyes. “I’m only six foot seven.”

“Only? That’s, like, almost Bigfoot height!” Link exclaimed.

“Bigfoot height? How the hell do you know what height big foot is?” Rhett asked.

“It’s on the internet, man. And he’s seven feet, so you’re almost there.”

“I can’t believe I’m being compared to Bigfoot right now,” Rhett groaned, causing Link to laugh.

“I can’t believe you haven’t been compared to Bigfoot until now!”

Rhett chuckled. He thought this would be an interesting experience, too, much like Link had thought the same. He hoped he would be able to meet Link’s expectations in a ballroom dancing partner. 

“How long have you been into ballroom dancin’?” Rhett asked as they turned a corner.

“I took a class on it in college, and I got, like, obsessed. How about you?”

Rhett hummed. “Well, my dad introduced me to the whole thing. Told me that was how he met my mom.”

“Oh!” Link exclaimed. “How romantic!”

Rhett nodded. “Yeah, imagine bein’ in love with someone else’s dancing.”

Link chuckled nervously. “Well, I can imagine it happening. I know it’s happened once or twice in the ballroom dancing community.”

“Well, I guess.” Rhett shrugged, watching Link fix his bag that looked like it carried a laptop.

Link looked up at the stoplight, walking towards a bus stop. “You take the bus home?” Rhett asked before he could stop himself.

Link nodded. “Don’t know how to drive home with it bein’ so dark. ‘S dangerous, dude.”

Rhett shrugged. “I kind of like driving in the darkness. It gives it a tranquil feel, ya know?”

Link smiled slightly. “Gotcha, man. See you tomorrow.”

Rhett smiled brightly. “See you.”

* * *

Rhett woke up, smiling at his encounter with Link the night before. He got Link’s contact information, as well as his social media accounts. They were going to meet at a friend’s dance studio at noon, and Rhett woke up earlier than he expected. Perhaps he was excited to meet up with someone as attractive as Link, or maybe he just wanted to dance, something he hadn’t done since he lost his former partner.

Rhett checked his email, seeing if he had been invited to join any competitions after telling his manager that he had found a partner. He assumed his manager didn’t receive the message yet, so he planned on going to the studio early so he could talk to her.

His phone started ringing, to which Rhett looked at the contact, hoping it was Link. It wasn’t, but it was his manager, the same friend that owned the dance studio.

“Stevie! Mornin’!” Rhett exclaimed, as cheery as possible.

“McLaughlin, you found a partner? Why am I so surprised?” Stevie asked, her tone making it apparent that she was joking.

“Shush, Stevie. What do you think of him?” Rhett questioned back, hoping Stevie found information on his new dance partner.

“That’s what I called you to talk about, Rhett. There’s no ‘Link’ in the records. Maybe he has a stage name?” 

Rhett sighed. “So you don’t like him?”

“That isn’t what I said. His socials make me think he’s cool, but we need to know his name so we can see he stats. That’s important, you know,” Stevie informed. Rhett rolled his eyes, he always forgot Stevie wasn’t only his friend, but his manager. She only wanted the best from him.

“He’s comin’ later. We can ask him before we practice,” Rhett said, hoping that was enough to get Stevie to approve of Link.

“I’m fine with that. Be careful, Rhett. If Link is anything like-”

“Don’t. Link isn’t like him,” Rhett interrupted. Rhett hadn’t known Link for long, but he didn’t doubt Link’s ability. Link didn’t seem like the type to be like his former dance partner. Link seemed better.

Stevie sighed. “Don’t assume. I’m only looking out for you.”

“I’m not assuming, Stevie. He won’t be like him. I guarantee it. Once you meet him, you’ll see what I mean,” Rhett assured.

“Fine. See you in two hours.”

“Yeah.” Rhett ended the call, hoping that Stevie would accept Link once she’d seen him. 

Rhett also hoped he’d find out why Link was hiding his real name. Normally, the ballroom dancers on record would have their names. Rhett felt betrayed that Link didn’t give him his real name, but he shrugged it off. There must’ve been a reason, and Rhett wanted to respect that.

* * *

Rhett arrived at Levine Dance Studio earlier than he planned, a few minutes before afternoon. He expected Los Angeles traffic to hold him back, but traffic had been light that day. Rhett found that weird, but he knew sometimes traffic was lighter than usual.

He walked into the studio, fixing the collar on his button-up before walking into Stevie’s office. Rhett opened the door with no permission to enter, and stared at whoever was sitting in a chair in front of Stevie.

“Ah, Rhett, nice of you to join us.” Stevie smiled, gesturing to the man sitting in front of her.

To Rhett’s surprise, it was Link. Link smiled as he laid eyes on Rhett.

“Link!” Rhett exclaimed before he could stop himself. He was surprised to see his new partner sitting in front of his manager.

“Hey, Rhett. Glad to see you again! I was looking forward to seein’ you again, so I came here early to meet your friend, who apparently is your manager? It’s really cool!” Link almost screamed, his excitement apparent.

Rhett laughed as Stevie cleared her throat. Rhett glared at her, but she appeared to be smiling.

“Stop flirting, lovebirds. Do it in your own time. Anyway, Link, why don’t you tell Rhett what you told me?” Stevie glanced at the two of them, still smiling.

Rhett was nervous, Stevie smiling was never a good sign. He looked at Link, who didn’t seem nervous at all, which made Rhett relax. Whatever Link had told Stevie probably wasn’t so bad.

“Sorry for introducing myself wrong, Rhett. I’m Charles Lincoln Neal III, but I go by Link,” Link reintroduced himself. Rhett chuckled, he thought it would be Link announcing he had a disease he should know about.

Rhett looked at Stevie, who was smirking at Rhett’s seemingly flustered face. Link’s actual name was hotter than Rhett expected.

“It’s fine, Neal. It isn’t like I told you my full name, anyway,” Rhett said, trying Link’s last name on his lips. Rhett almost melted on how hot it sounded.

“Stevie told me your name. Rhett James McLaughlin, right? You sound like a lumberjack!” Link giggled. 

Rhett glanced at Stevie, who seemed to be enjoying their conversation on the sideline. Rhett rolled his eyes and looked back at Link.

“You sound like you were born during the wrong century, so don’t even try me!”

Link smiled. “You have the wrong job, man. My name fits whatever job I have!”

“Except celebrity. Imagine being a celebrity with that name.”

Link rolled his eyes. “My name is Link Neal! I’d be a perfect celebrity, McLaughlin!”

Rhett laughed. “Sure, Link. And yet, here you are, becoming my ballroom dancing partner.”

Stevie intervened. “Well, you both need a partner. You two are like the only two ballroom dancers that can’t settle on one person. This’ll be good for y’all.”

Rhett smiled. “Really? You approve of him?”

Stevie laughed, looking between the both of them. “Yeah, Rhett. I think Link will be able to match your intensity. Let’s start practicing the Waltz, shall we?”

Rhett and Link smiled at each other, and Rhett couldn’t be more happier to hear that someone would finally be able to match his style of dancing. He always hoped for someone, and if Link Neal could finally be what he’d been waiting for, he wouldn’t mind dancing with him for the rest of his life.

* * *

Link was confused the first time it happened. He couldn’t exactly remember when it happened, he was probably in high school, but it happened so suddenly that it scared him. He remembered turning off his lights before going to sleep, only to notice that he couldn’t find his bed. He panicked, turned on the lights again, and saw his bed.

He didn’t know why he panicked. Link turned off the lights once more, and that was when he knew something was wrong. He couldn’t see that well, and everything was blurry, and it was extremely hard to see where the light switch in his room was.

He told is mother about what had happened, to which he was brought to the doctor. His doctor had said he had “night-blindness” and he needed to get glasses. Link didn’t understand that this would result in something bigger.

As he went into college to study music and ballroom dancing, he noticed patches in his peripheral vision. They were black spots that danced at the side of his vision, never seeming to go away. Eventually, more popped up, and he had to see a doctor. 

Link was diagnosed with Choroideremia, a rare disease that eventually lead to blindness. Upon hearing the news, Link was heartbroken. How would he able to dance if he was blind? How would he able to live his life without being able to see?

Eventually, Link excepted his fate. Sooner or later, he would be blind. That didn’t stop him from becoming a professional dancer. He decided that if he was going to lose his eyesight, he was going to do something he loved before losing it all.

A few years of independent practice and gaining Instagram supporters, he needed to find a way to get into competitions. That was when he met his partner, a girl named Monica Lamont. Link hadn’t told her about his eye disease when they first started out. He blamed his inability to see in his peripheral vision on how Monica’s dancing wasn’t intense enough for him.

Monica Lamont left after Link showed her how intense his dancing was, mostly because the faster Link danced, the more he had to avoid thinking about how his peripheral vision was slowly going away. The faster he moved, the more he didn’t have to stop and wait for the other person. The less he had to look around, the more he wouldn’t mess up because he couldn’t see where he was stepping.

He didn’t know why dancing faster helped. Perhaps it was because he didn’t have to worry about his footing when he was doing it quickly. He felt if he was slow, it would make him more self conscious on where he stepped, despite not being able to see his steps. Either way, things were easier when Link had done them fast.

After a few partners that didn’t know about his condition that he blamed on his intense dancing, he met someone that could match his speed. He was surprised once he found out there was someone who could, if Link was being honest.

Rhett McLaughlin, the person that was taller than Link and unbelievably attractive. When Link first saw him at the new cafe Link had coined as his favorite coffee spot, he couldn’t stop staring at him. The way Rhett looked at his laptop with frustration had Link feeling some sort of way that wasn’t normal. 

Link found himself in quite a predicament. Even if Rhett could match his speed, what would he tell Rhett once blindness took over? That question alone lead Link to go to Levine Dance Studio an hour earlier to talk to Rhett’s manager, Stevie Wynne Levine.

Rhett hadn’t told Link that Stevie was his manager, but Rhett was famous enough in the ballroom dancing community to have a website. Link saw that Rhett’s manager owned the studio they were scheduled to meet at, which lead him to come to the studio to talk to Stevie.

“Why did you come so early?” Stevie had asked, causing Link to gulp. He felt guilty not telling Rhett about his eye condition upon their first meeting. Link thought he had no choice but to tell Stevie since if he was going to dance with Rhett, she deserved to know in case something happened to him.

“There’s something you need to know. I haven’t told Rhett,” Link said, hoping to get it out of the way and not make this condition a big deal.

“You haven’t told Rhett? This thing must not be on your ballroom dancing record, then. What are you hiding?”

Link gulped. “It’s on my record, Ms. Levine.”

Stevie raised an eyebrow, surveying Link. Link knew he put it on his record as soon as registered to become a professional ballroom dancer. 

“You never gave Rhett your real name, so I couldn’t look up your record. Mind giving it me?” Stevie asked, her tone more aggressive than Link would’ve liked.

Link flinched, forgetting he introduced himself to Rhett in the worst way possible. He was so caught up in how incredibly handsome Rhett looked in the moonlit downtown Los Angeles that he forgot to say his full name.

“Charles Lincoln Neal III. I go by Link, sorry for the trouble,” Link chuckled awkwardly, hoping this wouldn’t do any damage to his and Rhett’s partnership.

Stevie seemed to be reading Link’s record, her eyes focused on the screen. He hadn’t seen her react to his eye condition, which made him worry about how he was going to break it to her if it somehow wasn’t on his records.

“What are you hiding? Everything looks normal to me,” Stevie reported after a few minutes, smiling at Link.

Link assumed Stevie had come to accept him because her tone was kinder and she smiled at him, so he didn’t know if she read his eye condition and felt pity or if she saw him as a perfectly healthy human being suitable to be Rhett’s dance partner.

Link pushed his glasses up, fidgeting in his seat. “Well… uh…”

“Is it the fact that you have Choroideremia?” Stevie asked.

Link blinked. “Y-Yes?”

Stevie smiled, her face showing warmth and acceptance. “You know, it’s fine. It’s an eye disease, right?”

Link nodded, confused at Stevie’s words. Before he could question it, Stevie continued. “I’m assuming you didn’t tell Rhett because you wanted to keep ballroom dancing as a career until you become blind, and if he knows he’ll probably not want to partner up with you.”

Link nodded, confirmed Stevie’s assumption. “How did you know?” Link questioned.

Stevie shrugged. “It was a guess, Mr. Neal. Anyway, I won’t tell Rhett.”

Link blinked. “Really? Why?”

“You chose to keep it from him. It isn’t my disease, Link. You decide when he knows,” Stevie said, smiling soon after. 

Link sighed, grateful that Stevie wouldn’t snitch on him. “You’re an actual goddess. Levine.”

Stevie laughed, flipping her hair back as she looked at Link. “Though, I won’t tell Rhett if you do this one thing for me.”

Link looked at Stevie. He hadn’t expected conditions, and he didn’t have a lot of money, so he hoped that he didn’t have to pay a fee. “What is it?”

Stevie smiled, seemingly at Link’s nervousness. “Let me pay for your check ups. You have to take them every month, right?”

Link, surprised, looked at Stevie with wide eyes. “Pay? For my check ups?”

“I said what I said, Link. Your records say that you’re not financially stable because of your Choroideremia, and I want my studio money to go for your treatment.” Stevie smiled.

Link chuckled. “Listen, Stevie, I’m extremely grateful for the offer, but-”

“Think of it as a bonus, Link. Rhett will find out something’s going on if you miss out on a practice day, and I won’t have an excuse ready for you. If I pay for your treatment, it’ll give us both an excuse, like saying you’re going for a check up because your records aren’t updated,” Stevie informed.

Link, processing the information in his head, looked at Stevie with utter surprise. “You’d do that?”

Stevie nodded. “I’d do anything to have Rhett be successful and happy, Link. I was on the phone with him earlier, and he seemed excited to see you today.”

Link felt himself blush, breaking eye contact with Stevie to look away. Stevie seemed to notice, and laughed at Link’s reaction.

“Just asking, but why won’t you tell Rhett about your Choroideremia right away?” Stevie asked.

Link chuckled. “Well, it’ll ruin Rhett. Every partner I had never found out, but I imagine if they did, they wouldn’t like me.”

Stevie nodded. “Though, you know this won’t change things between us, right? I won’t judge you because you’re visually impaired.”

“I know. That’s why I wanted to tell you about it.”

“You know,” Stevie started. “If you make Rhett happy, I’ll be glad to have you be his partner. He hasn’t had one for a few months.”

Link, suddenly curious, looked at Stevie. “A few months? Why so long?”

“You’ll find out once he decides to tell you. Rhett James McLaughlin won’t let people in his life so easily, so consider yourself lucky.” Stevie winked.

That was enough for Link to feel good about meeting Rhett. If Rhett let him into his life so easily, Link was happy. He hadn’t felt happy to meet someone since Monica Lamont (who he’d had a crush on), and that was saying something.

Plus, Rhett was attractive. Link found men to be attractive, so he thought it wouldn’t blossom into anything more. Though, Link knew that Rhett was probably special. He knew that perhaps Rhett wouldn’t be a small crush or someone he just found attractive. He had a feeling Rhett could be something more.

Link had been struggling with his bisexuality since he was a child that was raised to believe in Jesus Christ himself. Though, Link didn’t think it was a sin to feel something towards men as well as women. As long as he was true with himself, Link let himself be attracted to men and women.

Which led Link to let himself ogle Rhett as he brushed his hair after practicing the Waltz. Rhett had complimented his dancing, and Link hadn’t accidentally messed up the dance because he couldn’t see, which was honestly a miracle considering how dark the room was.

Link sighed, he’d had to tell Stevie to fix the lighting privately. If he said anything to Rhett, he’d probably get suspicious because Rhett probably saw the room as “bright” and not “dark”. 

“So, how was dancing with ol’ McLaughlin? Did ya like it?” Rhett asked, wiping sweat from his forehead.

Link tried not to drool over how attractive Rhett looked in the dim lighting of the dance studio. If Link had a choice to look at one thing before he turned legally blind, he’d choose to look at Rhett either in the dim dance studio or the moonlit outskirts of Los Angeles.

“It was amazing! I’ve never danced with someone that fast before!” Link exclaimed, excited to dance with Rhett again.

Rhett chuckled. “Honestly! I’ve never seen anyone keep up with my speed before. You’re really special, Neal.”

Link smiled, feeling extremely guilty that he hadn’t told Rhett about his eye condition. It didn’t seem right to lie to Rhett. But, what else could Link do? He needed money, and the only thing he knew how to do was ballroom dance.

“I never thought I’d find someone, you know.”

Link looked at Rhett, who was staring at him, his eyes intense. It felt like Rhett was gazing into his soul, and Link suddenly started feeling faint. He was so  _ hot _ .

“Yeah? You’ve had previous partners before, though.” Link mentioned.

“None of them are like you, Link. I think we’ll do good things together.” Rhett’s gaze turned into a soft smile, still leaving Link with the same feeling of feeling faint.

“I think so too, Rhett. Don’t aim so high, though. There’s a reason why we haven’t been invited to any competitions yet.”

Rhett laughed. “You’re right, but once we release to the public that we’re partners, we’ll be unstoppable!”

Link smiled, not denying his dance partner’s words. As long as Link could still see, he and Rhett would be unstoppable. They would become a good duo, and Link hoped he would still be able to smile at Rhett’s adorable face when they became an unstoppable force in the ballroom dancing community.

* * *

Rhett had never seen anyone match his movements as well as Link had. As they were dancing, Rhett didn’t think Link would catch up to his speed. He had, though, and Rhett was absolutely smitten. Link Neal was the most sexiest ballroom dancer he’d ever laid eyes on.

“You wanna see a picture of Link without his glasses on?”

Rhett almost slapped Stevie, who was laughing at him. They decided on taking a little break, Link offering to buy the trio food. Stevie gave him money to pay with so she didn’t have to pay him back, reassuring Link that Rhett would pay him back in kisses. That much embarrassed Rhett, who told Link he was going to repay him when he got his paycheck from Stevie. Link told Rhett not to worry, and ran off to buy food.

“Stevie, I haven’t even known Link for a day! Stop assuming I love him like he’s the most wholesome being on this planet!” Rhett screamed, causing Stevie to laugh more.

“You won’t deny that he’s a wholesome being, though, right?”

Rhett rolled his eyes. “I don’t need you trying to set me up with Link. It’s literally only been one day, Levine, so watch it.”

“Whatever, McLaughlin. That won’t stop me from teasing the two of you. You guys look at each other with heart eyes. Don’t deny it, Rhett. I see it!” Stevie smirked, putting her hands on her hips as she set her phone down on the ground.

Rhett rolled his eyes, glancing at Stevie’s phone. Sure enough, she was on Link’s Instagram, looking at a photo of Link without his glasses. Link was adorable with his glasses on, but the picture of him without his glasses was something different. His blue eyes werre more clear, his facial features coming together to make Link Neal look like the most handsome man Rhett had ever seen.

Rhett stared at Stevie’s phone before looking up at her. She was smiling, which caused Rhett to look away quickly. Stevie laughed, picking up her phone. 

“You’re blushing, McLaughlin! I gotcha good!” Stevie exclaimed, pumping her fist into the air. Rhett rolled his eyes at his manager. 

“You’re really mean, Stevie.”

“Oh? I’m just showing you what your dance partner looks like without his glasses. How is that mean?” Stevie asked, feigning curiosity.

“You’re feeding into my attraction to men! He’s only my dance partner! And I’ve only known him for a day! What if he isn’t the one?”

Stevie sighed. “You think Link isn’t a good dancer?”

“Fuck you, Stevie. You know what I mean.” Rhett flipped his manager off, causing her to laugh.

“Yeah, I know what you mean. Wanna know what I think of Link as your dance partner?” Stevie questioned, as if her opinion of Link mattered. To Rhett, it did. If Stevie accepted Link, his records were probably amazing. Stevie never exactly accepted his past partners.

Rhett nodded. “Tell me what you think of him. You never really approve of anyone I dance with, but Link seems to be different.”

Stevie smiled. “That’s because he is, Rhett. I think that with him as your dance partner, the two of you will accomplish amazing things. Trust me when I say this, Rhett, but you don’t want to lose him. He won’t want to lose you either. You two were meant to dance together, and I mean it.”

Rhett nodded, smiling at Stevie’s words. He knew she was right, he was extremely lucky to meet Link yesterday at that cafe. “You think he’d want to stay around after gettin’ to know me more?”

Stevie gave a thumbs up as Link entered the room with McDonald’s. “I wouldn’t say I think that, Rhett. I’d say I know that Link would want to stick around.”

“Hey! Sorry for takin’ so long, there was a lot of people today,” Link chuckled, handing Rhett a McRib, which he requested Link buy two of so Link could try it.

“It’s fine. Now, give me some fries!” Stevie exclaimed, taking a bag and attempting to find fries inside of it. Rhett looked at Link, who giggled at the sight of Stevie trying to find fries in a bag that had his McRib.

“So, this limited edition thing is your favorite sandwich from McDonald’s?” Link asked, looking at his McRib. Rhett nodded, opening his sandwich.

“It’s heavenly. I’d honestly die for this to be on the menu forever,” Rhett informed, watching as Link opened the sandwich up.

“No bone?”

“How’re you supposed to eat a sandwich with a bone, Neal?” Rhett asked.

“You’re a baby if you eat ribs without the bone!” Link exclaimed.

“I think you’re a baby if you judge the sandwich before eating it,” Rhett defended.

Link rolled his eyes. “I’ve never had it before! I think you should let me judge it.”

“I don’t think- what the hell are you puttin’ on your fries?”

Stevie looked up from her phone, only to see Link putting some type of seasoning on his portion of fries. Link put the container up to Rhett’s face so he could see it, but he pulled it away before Rhett could even see what it was.

“Bojangles seasonin’. Makes the fries taste good,” Link informed, showing the bottle to Rhett once more.

Rhett grabbed the bottle. “Is it good?”

Link smiled. “Yeah, baby.”

Rhett felt himself blush at the pet name as he put some seasoning on his own fries. He watched as Link beamed at him for putting the seasoning on his fries as well, and Rhett wanted nothing more but to hold that cute face in his hands and keep it safe.

He watched as Link took his first bite out of the McRib, his face lighting up with every chew. “Wow, Rhett! This is really good! I see why it’s your favorite!”

“Right?”

“Though, Big Macs are better. You can’t deny that, McLaughlin.”

Rhett rolled his eyes. “Whatever, Neal. I still think it’s the best thing McDonald’s has ever made.”

Rhett watched as Link smiled, biting into his McRib. He heard a small chuckle from Stevie, to which he looked at her and glared. She smiled brightly at him, nudging her head at Link. Rhett looked back to Link, who was focused on cleaning his glasses.

Rhett stared at his incredibly blue eyes sparkling under the dim lighting of the dance studio. It gave Link’s face a yellow tint, and Rhett couldn’t look away. Something about Link being under the light gave him a domestic feeling, like he was meant to see Link in this lighting for his whole life. His eyes darted to Link’s eyelashes, how long they appeared to be when he was looking down at his glasses.

That alone led back to Link’s eyes, Rhett feeling self conscious all of a sudden. He knew Stevie was watching him be absolutely breathless from a simple thing Link did, probably amused. He felt embarrassed, trying to take his eyes off of Link. No matter what he did, he couldn’t look away. Link was so… attractive.

Stevie cleared her throat, causing Link to look up. What Rhett didn’t expect was for Link to look up at look directly at him. Rhett immediately looked away, blushing harder than he had before. Why did Link immediately look at him instead of Stevie?

“You need somethin’, Stevie?” Link asked, looking at Stevie like making eye contact with Rhett hadn’t actually happened seconds ago. Rhett looked over at Stevie, who smiled.

“Nope, just wanted to take a look at you without your glasses. You never know, you might be Rhett’s type.”

Rhett groaned, looking at Link’s surprised expression. “Type? And what does me taking off my glasses have to do with Rhett’s type?”

“Stevie-” Rhett attempted to stop Stevie from trying to set him up with Link, but failed as she interrupted him effortlessly.

“You heard me right! Here’s a little secret between you and me: Rhett likes male silver foxes with blue eyes. You know the ballroom dancing community has a lot of foreign people, so I naturally know his type,” Stevie whispered, though loud enough for Rhett to purposely hear.

“I’m still here, you know!” Rhett exclaimed, causing Stevie to laugh.

Link chuckled, looking over to Rhett. “If you’re uncomfortable with me knowin’ that, I can just forget it.”

Stevie sighed, going over to Link and pinching his cheeks. “Awh, Rhett, look what you did! You made Link feel guilty over knowing who you’re attracted to!.”

Rhett looked at Link, who seemed to understand that people were uncomfortable with this type of thing. “If it makes you feel better, I won’t judge. I like men, too,” Link offered, giving Rhett a shy smile.

Stevie beamed as she caught Rhett’s expression, surprised that Link was also attracted to men. Rhett thought Link was handsome enough to get literally anyone crushing on him. 

“I’m fine with you knowing I’m, uh… attracted to men,” Rhett said, the awkward tension in the air apparent.

Stevie smiled, pulling Rhett closer before putting her arms around both Rhett and Link. “And, if it makes you two feel better, I’m attracted to the ladies!”

Rhett rolled his eyes as Stevie let go, winked, and grabbed her fries and walked out of the studio. That left Rhett alone with Link, who was still eating his McRib.

Link noticed Rhett staring at him, and gave him a soft smile. Rhett smiled back, trying not to break eye contact. He watched as Link took another bite out of his McRib before looking back at Rhett.

“Do you have any plans this weekend?” Link asked, wiping his face with a napkin. Rhett noticed some sauce remnants on Link’s mouth, so he grabbed the napkin from Link’s hand and started wiping his face.

“Don’t have any, why?” Rhett questioned back, putting the napkin on the floor as soon as he finished wiping the sauce off of Link’s face. Link gave Rhett a grateful smile before picking up the same napkin and wiping Rhett’s beard with it.

Link giggled as Rhett immediately looked away, flustered at the sudden action. “Wanna go to dinner? I’ll pay.”

Rhett raised an eyebrow. “I won’t let you pay for dinner if you paid for my lunch, man. I’ll pay.”

Link’s face lit up. “So, you’ll go?”

Rhett nodded, smiling at Link as he took another bite of his McRib. “Of course, I’d never say no to someone as cute as you.”

Rhett watched as Link’s face gained a red tint, his hand flying up to his face to feel its warmth. He immediately looked at Rhett and smiled. “S-Sorry, I’m not used to… compliments like that from... “

Rhett, seizing an opportunity, went closer to Link’s face. “From?”

Link gulped, regaining his composure. “From… hot people.”

“You find me hot?” Rhett asked, feeling himself get hot from how close he was to Link.

“Is it weird? I’m sorry, I-”

Rhett grabbed Link’s shoulders to stop him from fidgeting. “Link, it isn’t weird. I find you hot, too.”

Link smiled, making Rhett even more flustered than he was before. Rhett let go of Link’s shoulders, moving back to sit in his former position. He moved to pick up his McRib, only to see the back of Link’s head coming at him. 

Rhett watched as Link laid his head on Rhett’s shoulder, looking up to Rhett’s face. “You mind if I lay here?”

Rhett shook his head. “Nope. Stay here as long as you need.”

Link giggled, fidgeting to find a comfortable spot to lay in. As soon as he settled in one position, Rhett felt him relax.

“You smell so good, McLaughlin,” Link said softly, almost a whisper. Rhett chuckled and started stroking Link’s hair as gently as he possibly could.

“Yeah?”

Link chuckled, melting into the touch of Rhett’s hand. “Mm, yeah. Could fall asleep here, honestly.”

“You tired already? We hardly danced, man.” 

“Just had a hard week. ‘M feelin’ fatigued! Is that the proper word to use?”

Rhett laughed, continuing to stroke Link’s hair. He stared at the strands of his hair, looking at the very few grey strands. “Pretty sure the word you’re lookin’ for is ‘tired’. You could sleep, you know?”

Link shook his head. “Thought it’d be kind of rude to just sleep. I came here to dance, and here I am, sleeping? Imagine how rude that would be!”

Rhett rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t mind if ya slept because you were tired, though. We all have those days.”

Link looked up to Rhett, promptly stopping his hand movements of stroking Link’s hair. “Really?”

Rhett nodded, giving Link the softest smile he could muster. “Yeah. Ya mind if I stroke your hair?”

Link smiled back, letting his head fall onto Rhett’s chest. “Don’t mind. ‘M just gonna sleep.”

Rhett chuckled at Link’s sleepy tone, feeling Link relax more against his body. Rhett didn’t think meeting someone just a few hours ago would lead to something like this, and a date that weekend. And it all started in the most cliche place Rhett could think of, a cafe.

“Where y’wanna go this weekend?”

Rhett looked down at Link. “Thought you were gonna sleep?”

Link chuckled softly. “Was, but thought about this weekend. Where y’wanna have dinner?”

“I haven’t been out and about lately, so why don’t you decide?”

Link nodded, melting more into Rhett than he previously had. “Mm, I think I know a good place.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, you’ll see once I text you the details.”

Rhett smiled. “Okay. Why don’t you go to sleep?”

“You just don’t want me talkin’, huh?”

Rhett rolled his eyes. “Quiet, Neal. Just rest.”

Link laughed quietly. “Wanna come over to my place later?”

“You’re takin’ this a bit too fast.”

Link hit Rhett’s arm lightly, causing Rhett to burst out in laughter. “You’re so rude!” Link exclaimed.

“I’m just kiddin’, Link. Why you asking?”

Link sighed. “I’m a bit lonely, and I think my dog needs company. I saw on your Instagram that you have a dog, too.”

“You have a dog?”

“Yup, name’s Jade. Yours?”

“Barbara,” Rhett replied. “I think she’ll be happy to meet another dog.”

“Exactly why I asked you. You comin’?”

“Definitely. I think you should sleep first, though. So I can spend time with you tonight.”

“Yay! I finally won’t be lonely!”

Rhett laughed at Link’s exclamations, continuing to stroke his hair and look at the scarce grey strands. “We can discuss this more later,” Rhett whispered into Link’s ear, feeling him shiver.

“I’d like that a lot, lumberjack.”

“Shut up, Charles.”

“I will literally eat your parents, Rhett!”

Rhett chuckled, the two of them falling into a comfortable silence. Rhett didn’t mind staying like this in Stevie’s dance studio for as long as Link wanted. He was comfortable, and he wanted nothing more but to spend his whole life embracing Link Neal, his ballroom dancing partner.


	2. Our Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhett finds out more about Link's previous ballroom dancing experiences, and they both realize their current partnership was more than just a partnership.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this came out so late lol sis was busy
> 
> beta read by my friend, sheila, irl :)

“Your dog is cute, but mine is so much more cuter,” Rhett commented. Link rolled his eyes, putting his phone in his pocket as they reached Rhett’s house.

“Not true. I’ll believe it once I see your dog.” 

Link watched as Rhett laughed, getting out of his car and going into his house to get Barbara. This allowed Link to sit in Rhett’s car and evaluate his feelings for the tall man he met a day ago.

There was no lie when Link said Rhett was hot. He was attractive, and his smile made Link want to squish his cheeks and give him the kisses he so desperately deserved. 

Link didn’t mean to sleep on Rhett earlier. It was a decision he made on an impulse, and he was also so tired from staying up all night thinking about meeting Rhett the next day. There was no way he wasn’t crushing on Rhett at this point. He’d gotten enough courage to ask him out and to invite him to go to his place, and this definitely wasn’t just a business arrangement.

Maybe there was a place where Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal were just business partners. Link never believed in things like those, but he always wondered if they could exist or if they were completely out of the question. In this case, Link didn’t think it was so out of the ordinary, an alternate universe where they were nothing more than friends. 

Link didn’t want to believe that, though. They were probably just friends, or even more, best friends, in a different universe. In this universe, he was suffering a case of being extremely taken away by Rhett’s beautiful face and beard. And, comfortable body to lay on. 

Link sighed, laying back in the passenger seat of Rhett’s car. He’d taken an Uber to places since his eyesight was getting worse, and he wouldn’t have another check up until a week later that Stevie offered to pay for. So much for normalcy.

Rhett jumped back into his car, his dog immediately being attracted to the new person in the car. Link watched as Barbara walked over to his lap and sat in it, staring at Link.

“I was gettin’ her leash and everything while I told her about how she was going to meet a new dog. She’s been pretty excited since I said that,” Rhett informed as Barbara yipped in Link’s lap, still staring at him.

Link smiled, petting the dog. “She’s adorable!” Link exclaimed as Barbara yipped again.

Rhett smirked, starting his car. “So, you admit my dog is cuter than yours.”

Barbara barked as she played with Link’s hand, which was moving around her face. “That’s not what I said. My dog is, like, a hundred percent cuter. Sorry, lumberjack.”

Rhett laughed, handing his phone over to Link. “Give me your address. Need a GPS.”

Link momentarily stopped playing with Barbara, taking Rhett’s phone and typing in his address. It was kind of embarrassing, considering he lived in an apartment alone compared to Rhett’s house where he probably had company.

He handed the phone back to Rhett, their hands brushing against each other in the process. Link blushed, looking to Barbara to distract himself from the accidental touch. Barbara kept yipping as Rhett started the GPS, as if she was excited to finally meet another dog. Link smiled at this, remembering when he was excited to befriend people when he was younger.

“So, I don’t know if Stevie told you, but we have practice at the studio every weekday. The weekends are free,” Rhett informed, looking over at Link playing with Barbara.

Link nodded. “It was like that with my first partner, too, so I thought it’d be the same for you.”

Rhett looked at Link for a split second, as if he forgot he was driving. He turned back to the road. “First partner? I’m your second?”

Link shook his head. “No, you’re not my second. My first partner was, like, amazing, though. I kinda miss her.”

Rhett seemed to be interested, continuing the conversation. “What’s her name?”

Link looked over at Rhett, who was focused on the road in front of him. “Think you’ll know her?”

Rhett shrugged. “Don’t know. Most of my former partners ended up becomin’ famous without me holding them down.”

“Rhett, I’m sure-”

“Link,” Rhett interrupted in a harsh tone. “You don’t have to comfort me. I don’t doubt my abilities, but I understand that I was holdin’ them back because of my speed.”

Link nodded, not sure if he wanted to believe Rhett or not. “Right.”

The two sat in an uncomfortable silence, the silence being broken once Barbara barked as she was playing with Link. Link giggled every time Barbara would lick his hand, as if she was enjoying playing with him.

“So, who’s your first partner?” Rhett asked, as if he was trying to fill the silence with something other than Link’s giggles or Barbara’s barking.

Link cleared his throat before responding. “Her name was Monica Lamont. She was amazing, really-”

“ _The_ Monica Lamont?” Rhett interrupted, looking at Link like he was going to spontaneously combust.

Link nodded, knowing Monica’s fame. She blew up as soon as she left Link to suffer on his own. He wouldn’t exactly say _suffer_ , but he really looked up to her and wished to work with her for the rest of his sad career. 

He understood why he left, though. Link was too much for her to handle, and he understood that. Perhaps that was why his father left, Link was never sure. But he knew with his personality mixed with his eyesight, the combination was too much for everyone.

“I can’t believe you were with Monica Lamont!” Rhett exclaimed. 

Link nodded, his thoughts all jumbled up. He knew he shouldn’t be thinking about how much of a hassle, a burden, he was. He should be happy Rhett accepted him as a friend.

“Why’d you leave her, man?” Rhett asked. “You could’ve been famous!”

Link blinked. Had Rhett not known she was the one to leave? “Why’d you assume I left?” Link asked, curious to know why Rhett had assumed such a thing. Monica was amazing, Link couldn’t deny it, and he wouldn’t leave such an amazing partner. 

Rhett looked over at Link as they reached a red stoplight. “You didn’t leave? She left?”

Link nodded, his vision blurring. At first, he thought it was Choroideremia acting up again, but then he realized it was tears. He never cried over something so small, why was he getting emotional over it now? He blinked rapidly, trying to get rid of the forming tears.

“Link?” The stoplight hadn’t turned green, and Rhett was looking at Link in concern. 

He couldn’t make eye contact with Rhett, not in his current state. Not when he wanted to cry because his stupid eyes made him mess up his chance at becoming someone worthy enough to become famous from ballroom dancing. It wasn’t fame he was after, though. He assumed it was the thought of Monica leaving him because he was too much.

He continued blinking, feeling a tear escape. He quickly wiped it before actually looking at Rhett. He stared into Rhett’s eyes, a storm brewing in them. They weren’t the friendly green that he had first seen in the dim lighting of the dance studio, they were a cloudy grey.

Rhett’s concerned face only made him want to cry more. _It was stupid_ , he thought. _I shouldn’t be so sad over something so small_. 

All at once, it hit Link: How vulnerable he’d been in front of Rhett McLaughlin, ballroom dancing’s most intense dancer. How he was _too much_.

“Link.”

Link felt a hand on his shoulder, still looking at Rhett. He hadn’t seen Rhett’s arm move, which almost made him panic. Had his peripheral vision really gotten that bad?

If Link panicked, he didn’t show it, because Rhett seemed to be concerned about the topic of Monica Lamont. “Let’s talk about it when we get to your place, alright? So I can hug you.”

Link nodded, knowing he wouldn’t escape the conversation any time soon. He was going to spend the next few hours with Rhett, anyway.

Link looked at Barbara as soon as she heard her whimpering, worried if he did something to her. Rhett looked as well, but with not as much concern as Link expected. He was _smiling_.

“Barbara wants you to feel better. Yeah, I understand dog whimpering. Practically fluent in it,” Rhett said, his voice in a soft whisper.

Link laughed, knowing it was Rhett’s attempt to make him feel better. It worked, in a way. Link was still thinking about things, but it worked. “Right. How’d you get fluent?”

The stoplight finally turned green, Rhett following the GPS voice’s instructions. Rhett smirked. “Just knew it in my gut, Link. I communicate with nature, just as it does with me.”

Link let out a giggle. “Are you okay?” Link asked in a joking tone.

Rhett looked back at Link and winked. “Only when you are, sunshine.”

Link blushed. He didn’t know why the pet name made him blush, but it did. It made them sound like a couple, and Link kind of liked the idea of that.

* * *

Rhett mentally facepalmed. _Sunshine? Are you serious?_ In all truthfulness, Rhett did think Link was a bundle of sunshine. Even if Link was in his car, his smile glowed as he played with Barbara. Despite knowing him for a day, Rhett noticed how when Link got super excited or happy, he was practically beaming. He was sunshine, period.

Seeing Link blush from his peripheral vision was worth it. He may have accidentally made the whole situation kind of weird after mentioning Monica Lamont, but he probably made it right again. Link was adorable when he was blushing.

Rhett continued to watch Barbara and Link play with each other in his peripheral vision as he drove to a pretty dangerous area in Los Angeles. As soon as Link typed in his address, Rhett knew the area. The apartment building Link lived in, Rhett never saw it himself, but he knew from someone who used to live there that it was so dangerous to even set foot near the complex. 

It made sense to him that Link, the bundle of sunshine, wouldn’t see this at first. Rhett had lived in Los Angeles for all his life, so he knew that the area wasn’t safe. He guessed Link moved or was in financial ruin, since those were the only people that moved in such a dangerous area. Rhett hoped it was the first option.

“So, you from around here? Or from South Cali?” Rhett asked, hoping his thought was right.

Link shook his head. “Came from Buies Creek, North Carolina. ‘M a southern pansy.”

Rhett bit back a sigh of relief. “Buies Creek? That a small town?”

Rhett saw Link’s eyes light up. “Yeah! Have you heard of it?”

He shook his head. “Exactly why I asked if it was a small town, sunshine.”

Link blushed, continuing to play with Barbara. “Thought you’d heard of it from John Carson.”

Rhett’s eyes widened. “John Carson? Don’t tell me you were partners with him, too.”

Link nodded. “My third partner.”

“What the hell? Really?” Rhett asked, surprised at the information.

Link nodded once more, not saying anything as he focused on getting his hand out of Barbara’s mouth.

If Rhett was completely honest, he was surprised John Carson was from Buies Creek, it being a small town according to Link. He was also surprised Link danced with John Carson, the person who was well known in the ballroom dancing community as the worst dancer ever.

“Made sense why you left him. You did leave, right?” Rhett asked, hoping John Carson didn’t pull a Monica Lamont on Link.

“Yeah. He almost caught up to my speed, but he kept steppin’ on my feet! Dude was worst than when I first started ballroom dancin’!” Link exclaimed, using his free hand to gesture out what had happened as the other played with Barbara.

Rhett laughed. He’d seen John Carson during last year’s international ballroom dancing competition in Australia with his partner, and was really bad at dancing. They got last place, while Rhett and his partner got second. The fact that he was so close to first place got him thinking if he and Link should start thinking about publicizing their partnership.

“You thinkin’ we’re gonna get invited to competitions this year?” Rhett asked, setting the stage for the conversation to go in the direction Rhett wanted it to go. If they could get on the topic of publicizing their partnership, Rhett would be satisfied.

Plus, he’d get to know about Link and his experience with ballroom dancing.

“I mean,” Link started. “You’ll probably get invited. I’d just be dragged along.”

“What do you mean? You don’t get invited to competitions?”

Link chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. “Not really. The world hasn’t really known the name of Link Neal.”

“Not yet, anyway.”

Link looked up at Rhett. “Not yet?”

Rhett smiled. “Our partnership will be amazing, I can already feel it. We’ll win first place this year in the nationals!”

“Not shootin’ for internationals this year?”

Rhett looked over at Link. “Well, that depends. Have you been in an international?”

Link shook his head. “My partners never exactly made it pass nationals.”

“Exactly why we can’t go to internationals yet. You need more experience.”

Link sat up straight in his chair, alarmed. “Don’t let me hold you back, Rhett! You’ve been to internationals, right? Just find someone else to work with.”

Rhett shook his head. “Nah, it’s not like anyone will work with me, anyway. I chose you, Link.”

Link, flustered, became a fidgeting mess. “You sure?”

“Positive, Neal. Anyway, first place in nationals as our goal?”

Link nodded. “I’d like that. Though, we need support, right? Fans?”

Rhett hummed, confirming Link’s words. “We’re gonna have to go public soon. We can talk to Stevie later, and she’ll contact this really cool guy named Chase to help us gain some fans.”

“Don’t you already have a loyal fanbase?” Link asked.

Rhett nodded. “It’s a fanbase made up of, like, old people.”

Link giggled. “Oh? So we’ll have old people over, let’s say sixty, cheering for us?”

“Yeah, just us and my loyal sixty year old fans.” Rhett joked, looking over at Link.

He was laughing, the setting sun’s afterglow hitting his face. His eyes were closed, but his smile was apparent. Rhett had noticed Link’s smile being the most amazing thing he’d seen in a few months, so seeing it so close had Rhett feeling a weird sort of way in his chest. Rhett blushed, looking back at the road. 

He couldn’t be crushing on Link. There was a reason why his former partner left, why he didn’t actively look for a partner when his partner left, why he waited months to find someone. He was afraid if he started liking Link, he’d get hurt again.

* * *

Link turned on the lights to his apartment, causing Rhett to screech as soon as they come on. “Gosh, sunshine! Why the hell’s it gotta be so bright in here?” Link blushed at the pet name, trying not to make anything of it.

Link chuckled, trying to not make it so obvious that it was for an actual reason. Link’s eyesight was getting worse as each day passed, so he installed brighter lights so he could see. He didn’t expect to have other people over, so there was that.

“Sometimes people have bright lights, Rhett.” Link rolled his eyes, walking into his kitchen. He was trying to find Jade so she could play with Barbara.

Rhett followed closely after Link as he went into the living room. There Jade was, on his couch. Rhett released Barbara from his arms as soon as he saw the other dog. Barbara jumped onto the couch and sat next to Jade, attempting to play with her.

“This place is pretty small. Where’s your room? Rhett asked from behind. Link turned around to face Rhett, who looked like a giant compared to the low ceilings of his apartment.

“It isn’t small, Rhett, you’re just the size of Bigfoot,” Link remarked, leading Rhett to his room. Rhett followed as Link sat on his bed, hearing Rhett close the door to his room.

“So,” Rhett started. “Monica Lamont.”

Link gulped. He had forgotten about their conversation about Monica since Rhett distracted him in his car. He looked at Rhett, who took a seat right next to him. Rhett was staring at him with the same concerned expression he had in his car, but this time, his eyes were a blueish-green. Perhaps lighting changed the color of his eyes? 

That, to Link, was hot.

“Can you tell me about Monica, sunshine?” Rhett asked. Link sighed, he didn’t think he would be able to escape this conversation any time soon. Plus, the pet name had him feeling a weird way.

“Monica Lamont was my first partner, and kind of my mentor?” Link started, fixing his position so his whole body faced Rhett. “I basically admired her a lot. We started dancin’ together, slowly for practice. We didn’t practice the footing, we practiced our posture and body alignment. We didn’t have time for practice when we got invited to the nationals in Japan. That was when I danced too fast, acted too intense, and was too much for Monica. She left as soon as we learned we were last place that year.”

Rhett’s eyes widened, as if he was familiar with the situation. “You were the partner…” Rhett trailed off, piquing Link’s interest.

“The partner?” Link questioned.

Rhett nodded. “In one of Monica’s QnA’s she did a year back, she mentioned she started out rough, with a partner that didn’t exactly know his craft.”

Link stared at Rhett, processing the words. Link had looked up to Monica, and to hear those words come out of Rhett’s mouth made him want to sob. He thought he was rather good at ballroom dancing, for someone with Choroideremia.

Rhett didn’t seem to notice Link sulking over the words and continued. “She said she regret being partners with them, and wanted to restart her career with someone else.”

That alone was enough to get Link to start breathing heavily. He let out an exhale, his vision getting blurry with tears. Was he really that horrible? Was that why everyone, apart from John Carson, left? He didn’t think he was too bad at ballroom dancing. Would that mean Rhett would leave him too?

He felt a hand on his cheek, and looked over to its source. Rhett smiled, using that hand to pull Link closer to him. “Sunshine,” he cooed. “Don’t cry. I assure you, none of what she said was true.”

Link sniffled, not wanting to give into Rhett’s affections. What if he left, too? What if he would do what Monica had done and shane him? He felt tears coming out of his eyes, not even bothering to conceal them anymore. 

He felt Rhett bring him closer, full on hugging Link as he whispered, “I chose you, Link. Remember that. You’re an amazing dancer, and I chose you as my partner. I don’t think I’ve regretted that decision.”

Rhett added a small, joking, “Yet,” after a long pause. Link gave Rhett a wet laugh, still crying on him. Link sniffled, trying not to wet Rhett’s shirt.

“You… will you leave? Like… like them?” Link asked, to the best of his ability. Rhett seemed to understand what he was asking, though, and pulled him closer to his chest.

“Sunshine, I already told you, I chose you. There’s a reason why I haven’t backed out on that choice,” Rhett whispered.

Link sniffled. “R-Really? Even… even if you’ve known me for like, a day?”

Link felt a kiss on the top of his head. “Since you talked to me yesterday, I’ve never felt more alive. The way we did things, it just, clicked. I feel like every decision I’ve made has been right. Like, this is fate’s design.”

Link chuckled. “I agree.”

He felt Rhett laugh, his chest moving along with his hearty laughter. 

Link let go of Rhett, wiping his tears away. He then looked up to Rhett, who was still tall even if he was sitting, and smiled. “Sleep with me?”

Rhett smiled back. “Yes.”

They collapsed on the bed, Rhett immediately hugging Link. Link hugged him back, staring at his wavy hair and beautiful eyes. Link wouldn’t mind going blind with this image the last thing he’d ever see.

“Your eyes are really pretty,” Link whispered.

Rhett rolled his eyes, scooting closer to Link. “Yours are pretty, too. ‘S like the god damn sky.”

Link laughed. “Yours is like, a storm. Mixed with grass and creek water.”

“You make my eyes sound gross, sunshine.”

“Not true! Those are really pretty things, thank you very much!”

Rhett laughed, then moved to kiss Link’s forehead. Link felt himself blush, but didn’t mind. He took Rhett’s hand off of his back and kissed it, watching as Rhett cleared his throat, clearly flustered.

“You wanna know something, McLaughlin?”

“Hm?”

Link smiled. “I chose you, too.”

Rhett smiled back, that being the last thing Link saw when he closed his eyes and drifted into slumber, he and Rhett cuddling with each other. He didn’t mind this arrangement, not at all. After all, they both had chosen this, too.

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: rhinkityrhink
> 
> thank you for reading and continuing being your mythical best :) see you next chapter!!


End file.
